Insulating-support for electric third rails.



PATENTED JULY 5, 1904. F. R. SLATER. INSULATING SUPPORT FOR BLEGTRIG THIRD RAILS.

ION FILED MAY 2a. 1903.

WITIII i H l i UNITED STATES Patented July 5, 1904.

FREDERICK R. SLATER, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY HESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO BLEECKER S.

BARNARD, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

INSULATING-SUPPORT FOR ELECTRIC THIRD RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,384, dated July 5, 1904.

Application filed ma 28, 1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, FREDERIoK R. SLATER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of .New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Insulating- Supports for Electric Third Rails, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to insulating-supports for electric third rails ofthat class which are employed as an electric conductor in the operation of electric railways.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and improved support of the character above stated which will not only effectively support the rail, but which will provide effective insulation and which will,furthermore,possess advantages in point of strength, conven ience, inexpensiveness in manufacture, simplicity, effectiveness, and general efficiency.

My present invention and improvements are particularly adapted for'the support of sidecontact or under-contact third rails, but are also adaptable to use in supporting other forms and constructions of electric conductorrails.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical sectional View showing my improved support in its connection with one form of side-contact rail. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. l and illustrating a different form of rail.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are denoted by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a base, which may be secured to the ties or structure of the railway in any suitable or adapted manner and is formed of metal or other strong or suitable material. This base embodies an upright body portion or standard 2, which is recessed or hollowed out, as at 3, from its top downwardly into the body a suitable distance, the body or standard 2 thus constituting in a sense'a shell.

4 designates an insulating block or support, which is formed of some strong insulating ma terial, preferably vitrified clay, and may be Serial No. 159,062. (No model.) 1

of any suitable or desired exterior contour and dimensions. This insulating-block is arranged to extend upwardly from and above the base 1 and is supported thereby, and it is preferably of cylindrical and upwardly-tapering exterior contour, its top surface 5 being preferably plane or flat, as shown. The insulating-block 4 has projecting downwardly from its bottom 6, preferably on a central plane, a spindle 7, integral with the block and of corresponding insulating material and adapted in shape and dimensions to be received within the recess 3 in the base 1. The relative construction and arrangement is preferably such that the bottom surface 6 of the insulating-block 4i occupies a position some distance above the top of the base 1, as shown, for which purpose it may be annularly recessed or hollowed out, as at 8, thus providing for said space and also providing an annular projecting rib or ridge, as at 9, extending downwardly at the outer edge of the bottom surface of the block and forming a d rip.

The interior walls of the recess 3 in the base 1 and the exterior walls of the spindle '7 of the insulating-block 4 are recessed, grooved, or otherwise broken, as indicated at 10, said surface structure preferably corresponding on the walls of the recess-to the walls of the spindle. In practically carrying out the structure just described I prefer to have said recess and spindle of cylindrical contour and provide the wall-surfaces with a series of corrugations or convolutions resembling screwthreads. Undersome circumstances the spindle of the insulating-block l may be in threaded connection with the base, in which instance said threaded connection would be set by interposing cement or other retaining material between the threaded surfaces; but I generally prefer to have the greatest exterior diameter of the spindle of the insulatingblock 4 of less diameter than the least diameter of the recess in the base 1, so that the spindle can be simply slipped into its seat, and a material-space will be left between the convoluted or broken respective'surfaees, into which is filled a suitable retaining material,

in the accompanying drawings.

such as cement, as indicated at 11. struction last described is that illustrated in In the improved construction and arrangement as herein set forth it will be noted that the insulating-block has a firm and positive mounting or seat upon and in connection with the base 1, the rigidity of this mounting being emphasized by the central-plane arrangement of the connection between the block and base.

In the top of the insulating-block 4 and extending downwardly within the body of the same I provide a recess or hollowed-out portion, as at 12, corresponding in its method and arrangement to the similar recess 3 in the base 1, and this recess 12 is adapted to receive a spindle 13, projecting downwardly from the rail-carrying structure and corresponding in its method and arrangement to the spindle 7 of the insulating-block 4. The face of the recess 12 and of the spindle 13 are convoluted or broken in the manner hereinabove described with relation to the spindle 7 and the recess 3, and a similar setting or securing material 1 1 is interposed into the space be tween the spindle 13 and the recess 12. The

connection between said spindle 13 and the insulating-block 4 thus corresponds in its generalfeatures to the connection between the spindle 7 and the base 1, so that a secure and effective mounting is provided.

The spindle 13 carries at its upper end at a suitable distance above the top of the insulating-block rail-carrying means. This latter may consist of an arm 15, projecting horizontally and laterally from the spindle 13 and having a bifurcated end, as at 16, within which is inserted the web 17 of the third-rail or electrical conductor 18, the rail being retained by a transverse bolt 19, passing through the arm 15 and the web of the rail. Any other suitable or desired rail-carrying means may, however, of course be provided upon the spindle 13, and said spindle and rail-carrying means may be constructed integrally and of metal or other suitable strong material.

In Fig. 1 I have illustrated a T-rail as a side-contact third rail, while in Fig. 3 I have shown simply a right-angle plate or rail as the electrical conductor. It is obvious that according to the rail-carrying structure employed upon the spindle 13 various forms of third rails may be supported upon my improved insulating-support. For instance, I may connect with the top of the insulatingblock 1 the rail supporting and clamping means illustrated and described in my application for patent filed May 28, 1903, Serial No. 159,061.

The simple and improved construction herein illustrated is adaptable for the provision of. a small rail-guard, if so desired. For instance, a guard-plate, as illustrated in dotted lines at 20, Fig. 3, may be suitably secured The conto the rail-carrying means 15 (or insulatingblock 4) and projected upwardly, preferably in a segmentally-curved plane, over and above the rail-carrying means and beyond the contact-face of therail to protect the latter against sleet, &e.

The operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains. It provides an exceedingly simple and strong means for effectively supporting third rails, and having few parts can be inexpensively manufactured and conveniently assembled in position.

The relative construction and arrangement are such that perfect and secure insulation is assured.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the details of construction and arrangement as herein described and illustrated,

as it is manifest that variations and modifications may be made in the features of construction and arrangement in the adaptation of the device to various conditions of use without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and improvements. I therefore reserve the right to all such variation and modification as properly fall within the scope of my invention and the terms of the following claims.

Having thusdescribed my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. An insulating-support for electric conductor-rails, comprising a base having a downwardly-extending recessin its top, an insulating-block formed in one piece and comprising an upper body portion having a solid spindle on its bottom projecting downwardly therefrom and inwardly into the recess in the base, and setting material between the spindle and the walls of the recess, substantially as described.

2. An insulating-support for electric conductor-rails, comprising a base having a downwardly-extending recess in its top, the walls of which are broken; an insulating-block formed in one piece and comprising an upper body portion having a solid spindle on its bottom projecting downwardly therefrom and inwardly into the recess in the base and having its surface broken, and setting material between the spindle and the walls of the recess, substantially as described.

3. An insulating-support for electric conductor-rails, comprising an insulating block or support having a recess open at the top and extending downwardly in its body, rail-carrying means embodying a spindle seated and supported in said recess, the walls of the spindle and recess being ribbed or corrugated, and a retaining material inserted between the spindle and the walls of the recess.

1. An insulating-support for electric conductor-rails, comprising a base having a recessed body open at the top, an insulatingblock providedwith a spindle projecting at its bottom and entering said recess in the base and provided with a recess in its body opening at the top, means for retaining the spindle of the insulating-block in set position in the recess of the base, rail-carrying means embodying a spindle projecting downwardly and entering the recess in the insulating-bl0ck,and means for retaining the spindle of the railcarrying means in set position in the recess of the insulating-block.

5. An insulating-support for electric conductor-rails, comprising a base having a downwardly-extending recess in its top, and an insulating-block formed in one piece and comprising an upper body portion having a solid spindle on its bottom of reduced diameter projecting downwardly therefrom and inwardly into the recess in the base, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK R. SLATER. WVitnesscs:

J. M. Hoo'ron, M. M. DURKIN. 

